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Caitlin Clark’s return to the court can’t come soon enough!
Want to see a tank job? Look at the WNBA’s viewer numbers.
The WNBA desperately needs Caitlin Clark to return from injury, and new ratings unveiled since Clark started sitting out games due to a quad injury have reinforced what most of us thought … the league is nothing without Caitlin.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) warms up before game one of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sept. 22, 2024. Photo: Mark Smith-Imagn Images
Data showcased a more than 50 percent drop in viewership since Clark sat out. Clark has been sidelined since May 24 — missing five games for the Indiana Fever.
According to USA Today, Nielsen ratings showed “Nationally televised WNBA viewership is down 55 percent since her injury. Fever national TV games are down 53 percent since Clark’s injury – 1,810,000 average viewers before her injury and 847,000 viewers since her injury for Fever national TV games.”
READ: No Caitlin Clark Means Much Less Sports Betting Interest For WNBA
Most recently, numbers showed that sports betting on Indiana Fever games suffered a near 50 percent drop, coming less than a week after she was injured.
Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. Photo: Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As previously reported on OutKick, “roughly 50 percent of betting activity for the Fever dropped off compared to the first four games Clark played this season.”
BetMGM noted a 37 percent drop in betting activity for Indiana’s two games without Clark against the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun.
Simply put, people aren’t as interested without Clark.
READ: Caitlin Clark Delivered Massive Ratings Again For WNBA Prior To Injury
The WNBA has faced an identity crisis since Clark joined the league in 2024.
While experiencing these massive spikes in interest, the WNBA has mishandled the messaging surrounding Clark.
When critics arose about Caitlin Clark’s “privilege” as a white basketball player, rather than fixating on her skill, the WNBA began chipping away at its own star’s appeal by siding with the women jealous of Clark’s success. In four games this season, Clark averaged 19.0 points, 9.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds for the Indiana Fever.
Many of those critics have proclaimed that Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese could be a viable face of the league alongside Clark, but so far, nothing has compared to Clark’s superstardom.
Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela
